2018nationalacademies.org/annualreport/Report_to_Congress_2018.pdf · Science and technology are reshaping our lives in ways that would have been almost unimaginable to previous generations.

REPORT TOCONGRESS

2018

Science and technology are reshaping our lives in ways that would have been almost unimaginable to previous generations. Big data and artificial intelligence are transforming the economy through a diversity of applications — from driverless cars to telemedicine to high-tech manufacturing. An individual’s entire genome can now be sequenced for less than $1,000, and powerful genome editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 have opened new avenues of biomedical research and application. These exciting developments also raise many questions, however, about privacy and security, ethics and governance, equity and access, and our future workforce, to name only a few.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have long led the way on ensuring that emerging scientific knowledge, engineering and technology, and biomedical research are employed responsibly, and for the benefit of all. In this Report to Congress, you will learn about some of our most recent efforts to provide guidance at the frontiers of research such as human genome editing, quantum computing, collider science, and fusion energy.

The work of the National Academies also extends far beyond cutting-edge areas of science. Our independent, expert advice spurs progress on issues foremost in the lives of many Americans. For instance, in 2018 we examined how to modernize the nation’s aging interstate highway system, secure the U.S. voting infrastructure, eliminate lung diseases that plague coal miners, reduce drunk driving, and restore the health of Florida’s Everglades and citrus industry.

During this past Congress, our members and volunteer experts participated in close to 200 congressional briefings on our studies. And in an effort to identify new ways to respond to the needs of the nation, the National Academies are striving to keep innovation front and center, as well as amplify the impact of our consensus-based findings.

For example, we have launched a public-private action collaborative to speed progress on countering the nation’s devastating opioid epidemic, and we will use a similar model to continue the momentum of our landmark 2018 report on stopping sexual harassment in the academic sciences, engineering, and medicine. We are also engaging policymakers and the public through our Climate Communications Initiative, which injects knowledge and evidence about climate into the public discourse, and we will soon unveil The Science Behind It, a campaign to highlight how science addresses numerous aspects of our daily lives.

We are proud that our independent, expert advice continues to speak to many of society’s most pressing issues, and we hope it helps shape a prosperous future for many generations to come.

MARCIA MCNUTT C. D. MOTE, JR. VICTOR J. DZAUPresident President PresidentNational Academy of Sciences National Academy of Engineering National Academy of Medicine

A Message From the Presidents

EDUCATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education 5

Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center 6

English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives 7

Opportunities for Improving Programs and Services for Children With Disabilities 7

Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 8

Minority Serving Institutions: America’s Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM Workforce 10

Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy 10

Modernizing Crime Statistics: Report 2 — New Systems for Measuring Crime 11

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes 14

Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic 14

The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States 15

Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem 16

Monitoring and Sampling Approaches to Assess Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposures 17

Gulf War and Health, Volume 11: Generational Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War 18

Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services 19

INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future 22

In-Time Aviation Safety Management: Challenges and Research for an Evolving Aviation System 22

Highlights from

2018

Assessing the Risks of Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems Into the National Airspace System 22

Safety Regulation for Small LPG Distribution Systems 24

Admissibility and Public Availability of Transit Safety Planning Records 25

NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment 28

Review of the Draft Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) 28

Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda 29

Progress Toward Transforming the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program: A 2018 Evaluation 30

A Review of the Citrus Greening Research and Development Efforts Supported by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation: Fighting a Ravaging Disease 30

Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Seventh Biennial Review — 2018 31

THE SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE

Decrypting the Encryption Debate: A Framework for Decision Makers 34

Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects 34

An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe 35

Exoplanet Science Strategy 35

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation From Space 37

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 38

Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing 39

The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through 40

Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology 41

Final Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research 42

An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science 43

Also in This ReportStudies and Projects Completed in 2018 45

Current Congressionally Authorized Activities 57

Revenue Applied to 2018 63

About the National Academies 64

Highlights from

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EDUCATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES

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AFFORDABLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE

AND EDUCATION

Early care and education (ECE) is critical for

positive child development and learning, and can

provide the nation’s youngest children and their

families with needed, affordable care outside of

the home before kindergarten. However, the

current financing structure of ECE in the United

States gives access to only a fraction of the families

who need and desire care, and it does little to

further develop and educate the workforce,

says Transforming the Financing of Early Care

and Education.

An overhaul is needed to make ECE affordable

for families from all socio-economic, racial, ethnic,

and geographic backgrounds, a transformation

that will require a phased implementation, the

report says. By the final phase, an estimated annual

cost of at least $140 billion would be required,

with the largest portion — $82 billion annually —

coming from public investment.

Currently, funds are distributed to providers

and families through mechanisms such as

federally funded Head Start programs, public pre-

kindergarten programs that are funded primarily

by states or local jurisdictions, and state Child

Care Assistance Programs, which tend to target

resources to low-income families, as well as tax

preferences that benefit middle- and upper-income

families. The current lack of harmonization among

these financing mechanisms leads to gaps in

ECE affordability for some low-income families,

economic segregation within ECE settings and

classrooms, and underutilization of ECE services by

middle-income families. In addition, many of these

programs are under-funded and do not serve all

children who are eligible to receive services.

An integrated framework of laws and policies

that uses financing to bring about accessible,

affordable, and high-quality early care and

education needs to be implemented, the report

says. The federal government, in coordination

with the states, should set uniform family payment

standards that increase progressively across low-,

moderate-, and higher-income groups if the

ECE program requires a family contribution, and

increase funding levels and revise tax preferences

to ensure adequate funding.

To ensure higher-education programs are of

high quality and meet workforce needs, states and

the federal government should provide sustained

funding and grants to institutions and systems of

postsecondary education to develop faculty and

ECE programs and align the curricula with the

science of child development.

Since the report’s publication, several

states including New York and Virginia are

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exploring options to provide increased funding

opportunities for ECE.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Alliance for Early Success, Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, Caplan

Foundation for Early Childhood, Foundation for

Child Development, Heising-Simons Foundation,

Kresge Foundation, U.S. Department of Education,

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’

Administration for Children and Families, and

the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, with additional

support from the National Academies of

Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Presidents’

Committee Funds.

LEARNING THROUGH REAL-WORLD

CONTEXTS

Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12:

Investigation and Design at the Center says

centering science instruction around investigation

and design can improve learning in middle and

high schools and help students make sense of

phenomena in the world around them. Yet,

current approaches to science in many classrooms

do not reflect this approach and constrain the

opportunities afforded to students.

Science investigation and engineering design

offer a promising vehicle for anchoring student

learning in contexts that are meaningful to

them, the report says. Interacting with real-world

challenges and designing and testing solutions

to address them allows instructional choices that

better connect to students’ lives, experiences, and

cultural backgrounds than science instruction that

is focused on discrete facts organized by discipline.

Changing instructional approaches will

require significant and sustained work by teachers,

administrators, and policymakers, the report says.

For example, school and district staff should review

policies that impact the ability to offer science

investigation and engineering design opportunities

to all students, including particular attention to

differential student outcomes, especially in areas

in which inequities have been well-documented,

such as gender, socio-economic status, race,

and culture. In addition, states, regions, and

districts should provide resources to support the

implementation of investigation and engineering

design-based approaches to instruction across all

grades and in all schools, and should track and

manage progress towards full implementation.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Amgen

Foundation.

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TEACHING STEM TO ENGLISH LEARNERS

Students in grades K-12 who are learning English

comprise a diverse and talented pool that is

increasing both in size and as a percentage

of the U.S. school population. For English

learners (ELs), success in science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects

can be transformational, not only for the students

themselves but also for teachers, schools, and

society as a whole.

English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming

Classrooms, Schools, and Lives calls for a shift in

how STEM subjects are taught to ELs, citing that

through meaningful interactions in the classroom

with teachers providing support when needed,

ELs can develop proficiency in STEM subjects and

language simultaneously.

Language and content are learned in

tandem, not separately or sequentially, the

report says. Therefore, language proficiency is

not a prerequisite for content instruction, but

an outcome of effective content instruction.

STEM subjects also provide opportunities for

alternate routes to knowledge acquisition such as

experimentation and demonstration of practices.

ELs can actively gain language skills through STEM

experiences, without resorting predominantly to

their native language to access meaning.

With appropriate curricular and instructional

support, ELs can participate, contribute, and

succeed in STEM classrooms. Curriculum

developers, educators, and researchers should

work together to develop materials and resources

that consider the diversity of ELs’ needs and

strengthen teachers’ assessment skills to improve

STEM instruction and promote ELs’ learning.

Federal agencies should evaluate methods for

allocating funds for research and development that

would enhance STEM teaching and learning for

ELs, and increase the number of qualified teachers.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

National Science Foundation.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN

WITH DISABILITIES

A variety of services and programs exist to support

the needs of children with disabilities and their

families. A National Academies study examined

federal, state, and local programs and services

in a range of areas, such as health care, special

education, transition to adulthood, vocational

rehabilitation, and social needs care. Opportunities

for Improving Programs and Services for Children

With Disabilities says that to encourage healthy

growth and development, a focus on achieving

specific goals that help prepare these children for

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adulthood and coordinating care within and across

service sectors are both integral for effectiveness.

The life-course perspective acknowledges that

early experiences impact later experiences and long-

term outcomes, so it is important that near- and

long-term goals are linked to the attainment of

desired long-term health and functioning outcomes

and that services are individualized based on an

assessment of the child’s and family’s specific

needs. Several other characteristics also contribute

to effectiveness, such as engaging children and

families in their care and helping them navigate and

connect with the array of available supports, as well

as conducting rigorous, systematic evaluation and

continuous improvement of services.

Numerous gaps and limitations create

barriers to access and variable quality of services,

the report says, such as socio-demographic

and socio-economic disparities, state variation

in the implementation of federal programs,

fragmentation of services, insufficient workforce

capacity and development, lack of preparedness

for transitioning to adult services and programs,

and gaps in continuity of care. The report identifies

several ways to enhance the provision and quality

programs and services.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Social Security Administration.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SCIENCE,

ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE

A systemwide change to the culture and climate

in higher education is needed to prevent and

effectively respond to sexual harassment, says

Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and

Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering,

and Medicine. There is no evidence that current

policies, procedures, and approaches — which

often focus on symbolic compliance with the

law and on avoiding liability — have resulted in

a significant reduction in sexual harassment, the

report says. And the cumulative result of sexual

harassment is significant damage to research

integrity and a costly loss of talent in academic

science, engineering, and medicine.

The report offers a range of recommendations

for steps that colleges and universities should take

to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. For

example, academic institutions should develop

and share clear policies on sexual harassment and

standards of behavior, including a range of clearly

stated, escalating disciplinary consequences for

perpetrators who have violated policy. Colleges

and universities should make particular efforts

to address the most common form of sexual

harassment — gender harassment, which includes

verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey

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hostility, objectification, exclusion, or second-class

status about members of one gender. In addition,

institutions should work to create diverse, inclusive

and respectful environments where these values

are aligned with and integrated into structures,

policies, and procedures.

Congress and state legislatures should consider

a range of actions, such as better protecting sexual

harassment claimants from retaliation; prohibiting

confidentiality in settlement agreements; banning

mandatory arbitration clauses for discrimination

claims; and allowing lawsuits to be filed directly

against alleged harassers, not just their institutions.

In addition, federal agencies should attend

to sexual harassment with at least the same

level of attention and resources devoted to

research misconduct. They should require

institutions to report to federal agencies when

individuals on grants are found to have violated

sexual harassment policies or have been put on

administrative leave related to sexual harassment.

And they should reward and incentivize colleges

and universities for implementing policies,

programs, and strategies that research shows

are most likely to reduce and prevent sexual

harassment.

Some academic institutions have begun

examining and revising their existing policies,

procedures, and strategies in light of the

report’s recommendations. Congresswoman

Eddie Bernice Johnson, chairwoman of the

U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and

Technology, has introduced a bill that directs

research funds to specific areas recommended

by the report, including understanding the

causes and consequences of sexual harassment

affecting individuals in the scientific, technical,

engineering, and mathematics workforce, and

examining policies to reduce the prevalence and

negative impact of such harassment. In addition,

the director of the National Institutes of Health

has initiated a working group in response to the

report, and the National Science Foundation has

moved forward with a proposed change to their

grant terms and conditions that was endorsed by

the report.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

National Science Foundation, NASA, National

Institutes of Health, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, Burroughs Wellcome

Fund, Henry Luce Foundation, and the Howard

Hughes Medical Institute.

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AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE FOR THE

NATION’S STEM WORKFORCE

Workforce projections in the U.S. predict continued

job growth in STEM and related fields. At the same

time, the demographics of the U.S. are shifting

to a non-white majority, a transition that is most

apparent in the demographic makeup of the

younger generations. It is clear that the education

and STEM readiness of students of color will have

direct implications on the nation’s economic

growth, national security, and global prosperity.

A National Academies report says that the

nation’s Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are

underutilized resources for producing talent to

fulfill the needs of the nation’s current and future

STEM workforce. There are approximately 700

two- and four-year MSIs, and they educate nearly

30 percent of all U.S. undergraduates. The total

number of MSIs has grown significantly in the

past 20 years, and as the nation’s demographics

continue to change, many more enrollment-

defined MSIs are expected to emerge.

Based on a review of research literature,

available data, and site visits by the study

committee, Minority Serving Institutions: America’s

Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM

Workforce identifies promising strategies to support

the long-term success of MSI students, particularly

those in STEM fields. The report recommends

that stakeholders — including MSI leadership,

Congress, federal agencies, state leaders, business

and industry, professional associations, and

nongovernmental organizations — should create

initiatives, policies, and practices that are tailored

to meet students where they are in their college

careers academically, financially, and socially, and

to do so with a cultural mindfulness that supports

higher levels of student success and workforce

preparation in STEM fields.

The Academies’ study was funded by

the ECMC Foundation, Helmsley Charitable

Trust, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, W.K. Kellogg

Foundation, and the Wallace Foundation.

SECURING U.S. ELECTIONS

Assessments by the U.S. intelligence community

found that during the 2016 presidential election,

America’s election infrastructure was targeted by

actors sponsored by the Russian government who

obtained and maintained access to elements of

multiple U.S. state or local election systems. The

intrusions made clear the vulnerability of election

infrastructure to cyberattack — a vulnerability

exacerbated by aging equipment and a lack of

sustained funding, says Securing the Vote: Protecting

American Democracy. The report makes numerous

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recommendations designed to toughen the

nation’s election infrastructure and safeguard its

integrity and credibility.

Congress should appropriate funds for

distribution by the U.S. Election Assistance

Commission for the ongoing modernization

of election systems, the report says. Congress

also should provide funding for state and local

governments to improve their cybersecurity

capabilities on an ongoing basis.

The report warns, however, that no electronic

voting systems can be made completely secure

against cyberattack. To protect the integrity and

security of U.S. elections, all federal, state, and

local elections should employ human-readable

paper ballots by the 2020 presidential election.

Paper ballots form a body of evidence that is not

subject to manipulation by faulty software or

hardware and that can be used to audit and verify

the results of an election.

Paper ballots also enable the use of risk-limiting

audits, another safeguard which can verify that

a reported election outcome reflects a correct

tabulation of the votes cast. These audits offer a

high probability that any incorrect outcome can be

detected, and they do so with statistical efficiency;

a risk-limiting audit performed on an election with

tens of millions of ballots may require examination

by hand of as little as several hundred randomly

selected paper ballots. States should begin with

pilot programs of risk-limiting audits and fully

implement them for all federal and state election

contests — and local contests where feasible —

within a decade.

The report also cautions against the use of

Internet voting at the present time. No ballots that

have been marked by voters should be transmitted

by any network connected to the Internet, because

no current technology can guarantee their secrecy,

security, and verifiability.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Carnegie Corporation of New York and the

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, with

additional support from the National Academies

of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Presidents’

Committee Funds.

MODERNIZING CRIME STATISTICS

The nation’s ability to measure crime is critical

to establish policy priorities, evaluate policy

effectiveness, and provide accountability data for

the agencies responsible for responding to crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform

Crime Reporting program and its developing

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

compile data on offenses reported or known to

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law enforcement. The Bureau of Justice Statistics’

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

complements this with the capacity to estimate

amounts of crime not reported to police.

These systems are essential to understanding

crime, but a stronger federal role is needed to

coordinate data collection, says Modernizing Crime

Statistics: Report 2 — New Systems for Measuring

Crime. The White House Office of Management

and Budget should establish a structure to

manage and coordinate comprehensive crime

data collection.

In 2016, the Academies’ first report on

modernizing crime statistics developed a

broader definition and concept of crime as

“socially unacceptable behavior that causes

harm or threatens harm against another,” and

this final report examines methodological and

implementation issues in working with the new

classification of crime.

Crime statistics would be more useful if they

provided more information and flexibility for

detailed analysis, the report says. Police-report

data collected by NIBRS and survey data from

NCVS provide core crime data components, but

the report suggests adding a third component

that draws from administrative-type data resources

and information on regulatory violations through

a crime measurement clearinghouse. New and

emerging types of crime to include are cybercrime,

environmental crimes, and many types of fraud —

offenses that have not been handled well, or at all,

in the nation’s current crime statistics.

A new crime statistics system that uses

multiple data collection efforts — including

full participation in NIBRS and an adequately

resourced NCVS — will provide a more robust

understanding of the nature of crime and firmer

ground for developing policies to combat crime,

the report says. The new governing structure

should be sure to enable long-term research and

development on innovative technologies and

methodology for measuring crime.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics

and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

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PUBLIC HEALTH EFFECTS OF E-CIGARETTES

Millions of Americans use e-cigarettes, which

include a range of devices such as “cig-a-likes,”

vape tank systems, and newer products that

look like USB devices, each containing a heating

element that produces a vapor that users inhale

via a mouthpiece. Use is generally greatest among

young adults, decreases with age, and varies

substantially across demographic groups, including

age, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes

takes a comprehensive look at evidence on the

human health effects of e-cigarettes. Although the

research base is limited given the relatively short

time e-cigarettes have existed, the committee that

conducted the study examined over 800 peer-

reviewed scientific studies, reaching dozens of

conclusions about a range of health impacts, for

instance, related to exposure to nicotine and toxic

substances, dependence, injuries and poisonings,

cancer, and respiratory effects.

Evidence suggests that while e-cigarettes are

not without health risks, they are likely to be far

less harmful than conventional cigarettes. They

contain fewer numbers and lower levels of toxic

substances than conventional cigarettes, and

using e-cigarettes may help adults who smoke

conventional cigarettes quit smoking. However,

their long-term health effects are not yet clear.

Among youth, there is substantial evidence that

e-cigarette use increases the risk of smoking

conventional cigarettes. Whether e-cigarettes

have an overall positive or negative impact on

public health is currently unknown, the report

says; more and better research on their short- and

long-term health effects and on their relationship

to conventional smoking is needed to answer that

question with clarity.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration.

COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE

U.S. OPIOID EPIDEMIC

The number of opioid-related deaths — from

both prescription opioids and illegal drugs

including heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil — has

quadrupled in the last 20 years. Driven in large

part by the opioid epidemic, drug overdose is

the leading cause of accidental death in the

U.S., resulting in an average of 170 deaths every

day. Addiction and overdose not only destroy

individual lives but also erode the health and

prosperity of entire families and communities.

The economic toll is significant; according to the

nonprofit research organization Altarum, the cost

of the opioid crisis is estimated to have exceeded

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$1 trillion from 2001 to 2017, and is projected to

cost an additional $500 billion by 2020.

In recognition of the need for a national

coordinated and collective response to the epidemic

of opioid addiction, the National Academy of

Medicine, together with the Aspen Institute,

launched a public-private partnership made

up of more than 55 organizations representing

government, health systems, associations and

provider groups, health education and accrediting

institutions, pharmacies, payers, industry,

nonprofits, and academia. The Academy’s Action

Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

is committed to establishing shared priorities

among stakeholders, identifying unmet needs, and

developing and disseminating evidence-based,

multisector solutions to reduce rates of opioid

misuse and improve outcomes for individuals,

families, and communities affected by addiction.

Four working groups are focusing on:

health professional education and training;

prescribing guidelines and evidence standards;

prevention, treatment, and recovery; and

research, data, and metrics. The collaborative’s

planned activities include meetings and webinars,

expert publications, and the development of an

information hub to share knowledge and best

practices, among other efforts.

The Academy’s action collaborative is funded

by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical

Education, Aetna, American Hospital Association,

American Medical Association, Arnold Ventures,

Association of American Medical Colleges,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

CDC Foundation, Centers for Medicare &

Medicaid Services, Council of Medical Specialty

Societies, Federation of State Medical Boards,

HCA Healthcare, National Institute on Drug

Abuse, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration.

ABORTION CARE IN THE UNITED STATES

Since abortion became legal nationwide in the

United States in 1973, there have been substantial

advances to the health care delivery system and

medical science, and abortion care practices have

changed with the advent of new techniques and

technologies.

The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the

United States provides a comprehensive review of

the scientific evidence on the safety and quality

of abortion care in the U.S. The committee that

wrote the report examined the evidence on the

four abortion methods in use and assessed quality

of care based on whether it is safe, effective,

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patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable,

according to well-established standards.

Medication and aspiration abortions are the

most common methods and, together, account

for about 90 percent of all abortions. Regardless

of the method used, serious complications from

abortion are rare, and safety and quality are

enhanced when the abortion is performed as early

in pregnancy as possible, the report says. However,

the likelihood that women will receive the type of

abortion services that best meet their needs varies

considerably depending on where they live, due

to abortion-specific regulations in many states that

create barriers to safe and effective care.

The committee examined the minimum

characteristics necessary for clinical facilities to

safely perform an abortion, and found that the

majority of abortions can be provided safely in

office-based settings. In 2014, 95 percent of

abortions were provided in clinics and other office-

based settings.

Reviewing the evidence on what clinical skills

are necessary for health care providers to safely

perform the various components of abortion care,

the committee concluded that trained physicians

(such as OB-GYNs and family medicine physicians)

as well as advanced practice clinicians (such as

certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and

physician assistants) can safely and effectively

provide medication and aspiration abortions. The

report also looks at clinical education and training

in abortion care, availability of services, and

potential long-term health effects.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Grove Foundation, JPB Foundation, David and

Lucile Packard Foundation, Susan Thompson Buffet

Foundation, Tara Health Foundation, and the

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE ALCOHOL-

IMPAIRED DRIVING

Alcohol-impaired driving remains the deadliest and

costliest danger on U.S. roads today, with resulting

fatalities significantly exceeding the number of

deaths from distracted and drugged driving.

Although some progress in addressing this issue

was made from the 1980s to early 2000s, more

than 10,000 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities still

occur each year in the U.S.

Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving

Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent

Problem outlines ways that stakeholders — from

transportation systems to alcohol retailers to

law enforcement — should work together to

implement policies and systems to eliminate these

deaths. For example, the report recommends

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state governments enact laws criminalizing

alcohol-impaired driving at 0.05 percent blood

alcohol concentration (BAC), rather than the

current limit of 0.08 percent in all states except

Utah, which decreased its BAC limit to 0.05

percent in December 2018. Evidence shows

that an individual’s ability to operate any type

of motor vehicle begins to deteriorate at BAC

levels lower than 0.08 percent. In addition,

studies from countries that have decreased their

BAC limits to 0.05 percent, such as Austria and

Japan, demonstrate that this is an effective policy.

This change should be accompanied by media

campaigns and robust enforcement efforts.

Most strategies to reduce alcohol-impaired

driving employ traditional enforcement and

criminal justice approaches, but it is critically

important to broaden the focus to reduce

drinking to the point of impairment in the first

place. Among other recommendations, the

report says federal and state governments should

increase alcohol taxes significantly, as strong

evidence shows that higher alcohol taxes can

reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related motor

vehicle crash fatalities.

Several states, including New York and Hawaii,

are assessing lowering their BAC limits to 0.05

percent. The Academies’ study was funded by the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CONTROLLING COAL MINE DUST

EXPOSURE

Black lung disease is a complex problem that

continues to affect coal miners in the U.S. who

have been exposed to respirable coal mine dust

— a substance containing airborne particles

produced during mining operations that can be

inhaled and deposited in the lung. Although rates

of black lung disease declined in the latter decades

of the 20th century, an unexpected increase has

been observed in various geographic areas in

central Appalachia since 2000. The reasons for

the increase are unclear, but it could be related to

changes in mining practices. For example, the use

of heavier, more powerful equipment has made it

easier to cut through more rock to mine thinner

coal seams. If that rock is high in crystalline silica,

miners could be exposed to dust with elevated

concentrations of silica, which can increase

health risks. In 2014, the Mine Safety and Health

Administration (MSHA) issued a rule that lowered

allowable exposure limits for respirable coal mine

dust and required the use of different monitoring

technology and sampling protocols for mine

workers’ dust exposure.

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Monitoring and Sampling Approaches to Assess

Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposures says that

even though mine operators today are complying

with regulatory requirements for monitoring

conditions that affect miner health, these

approaches may not guarantee that exposures

will be controlled adequately or that future

disease rates will decline. A fundamental shift

is needed in the way mine operators approach

exposure control to continue progress toward

eliminating coal mine dust-related lung diseases.

The report recommends a number of actions for

the National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health (NIOSH), MSHA, and coal mine operators

that range from improving current monitoring

technologies, such as developing rapid detection

of crystalline silica, to building research activities

that address the knowledge gaps. In addition,

to inform exposure control efforts, NIOSH and

other organizations, such as the National Mining

Association, should conduct a comprehensive

investigation to identify key challenges mine

operators face in implementing a “beyond

compliance” approach to monitoring.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health.

STUDYING HEALTH EFFECTS IN VETERANS

AND THEIR DESCENDANTS

Almost 700,000 U.S. troops were deployed to the

Persian Gulf region during the height of Operations

Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991. The

U.S. military engaged in further conflicts following

the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with troops

stationed in and around Afghanistan and in Iraq.

In any war, deployed service members may be

exposed to potentially hazardous agents and

situations. This could include chemicals that are

used in everyday civilian life, such as pesticides and

solvents, as well as chemical and biological agents,

mandatory vaccines, smoke from burn pits and oil-

well fires, and depleted uranium.

Gulf War and Health, Volume 11: Generational

Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War recommends

the creation of a health monitoring and research

program (HMRP) to help determine if the

descendants of Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans

are at risk for health effects resulting from the

service members’ exposure to toxicants during

deployment. While there is a growing base of

human and animal evidence on the reproductive

and developmental effects of many toxicants of

concern, there is a dearth of information on the

specific effects of veterans’ exposures on their

children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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The HMRP would be a collaboration among

a number of government and nongovernmental

organizations to carry out several priorities, such

as the collection, storage, and maintenance of

comprehensive baseline and longitudinal data

and biospecimens from veterans, their partners,

and their descendants, and detailed exposure

characterization and assessment during and after

deployment.

The report also includes more than 50

conclusions in five categories of association

between exposures and reproductive effects,

adverse pregnancy outcomes, or developmental

effects. Because there was little or no information

on specific effects in veterans for many of

the toxicants, the study committee relied on

examinations of occupational or residential cohorts

who were exposed to some of the same toxicants

as Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans were. However,

the committee was unable to determine how

relevant the exposures in these non-veteran studies

are to those experienced by deployed veterans

in terms of the exposure magnitude, duration,

frequency, mixtures, and co-exposures.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs.

VA MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members

took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,

including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF),

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation

New Dawn (OND). The National Academies were

asked to assess the quality, capacity, and access

to mental health care services for veterans who

served in these wars.

While the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

provides mental health care of comparable or

superior quality to care provided in private and

non-VA public sectors, accessibility and quality

of services vary across the VA health system,

says Evaluation of the Department of Veterans

Affairs Mental Health Services. A survey developed

and fielded by the committee that conducted

the study found that approximately half of the

veterans surveyed who may have a need for

mental health care do not use VA or non-VA

services, indicating that a large proportion of

veterans who need mental health services do not

receive any treatment for conditions such as post-

traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder,

or depression. In addition, more than half of

veterans who screened positive in the survey for

having a mental health care need do not perceive

their need for services.

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Among veterans with a mental health care

need who have not sought mental health services,

their main reasons for not doing so are that they

do not know how to apply for VA mental health

care benefits, they are unsure whether they are

eligible, or they are unaware that VA offers these

benefits. Many veterans who are aware of these

services say that the process of accessing them

is burdensome. However, a majority of OEF/OIF/

OND veterans who use the VA report positive

experiences with its mental health services,

including the availability of services, privacy and

confidentiality of medical records, and the staff’s

skill, expertise, and courtesy toward patients.

The report says that the VA should set a

goal of becoming a reliable provider of high-

quality mental health care services throughout

its system within three to five years and includes

recommendations for developing and reviewing a

strategic plan to achieve this goal.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs.

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INDUSTRY ANDINFRASTRUCTURE

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RENEWING AND MODERNIZING THE

INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM

The U.S. Interstate Highway System has been

pivotal in shaping and supporting the country’s

demographic, economic, and social development.

Authorized in 1956 and designed to provide safe

and efficient transportation across states, the

system’s highways serve as both urban commuter

and inter-urban travel corridors, integrate the

country’s freight system by connecting to major

ports and rail hubs, and are critical to the logistics

of national defense. Today, however, they suffer

from severe congestion, mainly in urban areas, and

in many cases are in need of costly reconstruction.

The future of the nation’s interstates is

threatened by a persistent and growing backlog

of structural and operational deficiencies and by

various looming challenges, such as escalating urban

traffic levels, the progress of automated vehicles,

and vulnerabilities due to climate change, says

Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate

Highway System: A Foundation for the Future. Unless

a commitment is made to remedy the system’s

deficiencies and prepare for these oncoming

challenges, there is a real risk that interstate

highways will become increasingly unreliable and

congested, far more costly to maintain, less safe, and

vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather.

The report provides a 20-year blueprint for

action, which includes creating an “Interstate

Highway System Renewal and Modernization

Program.” To ensure that the funding is not

threatened by declining fuel tax revenues, new

federal and state user-based fees, such as per-

mile charges, should be employed. In the short

term, however, the blueprint calls for increasing

the federal fuel tax and allowing tolls on

interstates. Recent combined state and federal

capital spending on interstate highways has been

approximately $25 billion annually. To renew and

modernize these roads over the next 20 years,

$45 billion to $70 billion will be required annually.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Federal Highway Administration of the U.S.

Department of Transportation.

OPPORTUNITIES IN AVIATION SAFETY

Commercial airlines are the safest modes

of transportation, largely due to decades of

investment by industry and government and

continuous efforts to reduce hazards. However,

with an increase in the number of flights and

numerous new technologies, such as autonomous

air and ground systems, the national airspace

system has to keep pace in a rapidly changing

environment.

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In-Time Aviation Safety Management: Challenges

and Research for an Evolving Aviation System says

that that it is time for a comprehensive aviation

safety system as envisioned by NASA that could

continuously monitor the national airspace system,

assess the data that it has collected, and then

either recommend or initiate safety assurance

actions as necessary. Such a comprehensive

aviation system would require integration of a wide

range of systems and practices, including building

an in-time aviation safety management system

(IASMS) that could detect and mitigate high-

priority safety issues as they emerge.

The report visualizes an IASMS that can

collect data on the status of aircraft, air traffic

management systems, airports, and weather,

and then assess the data second by second,

minute by minute, and hour by hour to detect

or predict elevated risks quickly. Additionally, the

IASMS would focus on risks that require action

in-flight or prior to flight to ensure safety, such as

making a decision to postpone or cancel a flight

until weather conditions change or equipment is

repaired, for example. Recommendations from

the system could be ones that operators act upon

themselves or, when urgency is needed, the IASMS

could be designated to initiate safety assurance

actions autonomously.

The report recommends 10 high-priority

research projects for consideration by agencies

and organizations in government, industry, and

academia. Of these 10 projects, developing a

detailed concept of operations for an IASMS

should be of the highest priority and will involve

considering multiple possible system architectures,

evaluating key trade-offs, and identifying system

requirements.

Government agencies should support

research and development consistent with their

own organization’s mission objectives and the

desired nature of the given organization’s research

portfolio in terms of risk, technical maturity, and

economic potential, the report says. In addition,

each research project could be addressed by

partnerships involving multiple organizations in

the federal government, industry, academia, and

international government agencies.

A second report, Assessing the Risks of

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems Into the

National Airspace System, says that opening

up the nation’s airspace to drone operations

can also provide substantial safety benefits to

society, such as preventing train derailments,

inspecting cell phone towers, delivering medical

devices to patients in cardiac distress, and

assisting firefighters. The report outlines several

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recommendations to optimize the advantages of

unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and allow for

their expanded use in the future.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s overly

cautious approach to safety risk assessments tends

to overestimate the likelihood and severity of

risks from drones, the report says, and threatens

to curb innovation and prevent the many ways

drones can help people. To integrate drone

activities into the nation’s airspace in a timely

yet safe manner, FAA should evolve its current

risk assessment methodologies. The need is

particularly pressing because the lack of empirical

data in this emerging industry means the current

FAA approaches to UAS risk management

are based fundamentally on qualitative and

subjective risk analysis.

The FAA should establish and publish

specific guidelines before the end of 2019

for implementing a predictable, repeatable,

quantitative risk-based process for certifying

unmanned aircraft systems and granting

operations approval, the report says. It also

recommends the FAA administrator publicly

commit to reviewing risk assessments by mid-

year so the proponents receive timely feedback.

The agency should undertake a top-to-bottom

change in management processes as well, with

the aim of moving to a risk-based decision-

making organization.

After the report was released, the secretary of

the U.S. Department of Transportation announced

that the FAA will introduce a new rule to grant

drone operators more freedom to fly as well as

longer flight times.

In-Time Aviation Safety Management was

funded by NASA. Assessing the Risks of Integrating

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Into the National

Airspace System was funded by the Federal Aviation

Administration.

SAFETY REGULATION OF SMALL

GAS PIPELINE SYSTEMS

Propane and other types of liquefied petroleum

gas (LPG) are important fuels for homes and

businesses that do not have access to natural gas

service within the U.S. energy infrastructure. For

a smaller portion of those served by LPG, the gas

is transported by small, multi-user distribution

systems, each of which provide LPG to 100 or

fewer customers, especially in rural areas of

New England.

Current federal safety regulations for small

distribution systems used for LPGs should

be improved for clarity, enforceability, and

applicability to risk, says Safety Regulation for

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Small LPG Distribution Systems. Because of

data limitations on system location and safety

performance, there is significant uncertainty

about how the regulatory requirements affect the

safety of the gas pipeline systems, particularly the

smallest ones with fewer than 100 customers.

The report says that while serious incidents

involving these small LPG distribution systems are

infrequent, not all systems are being identified

for compliance with federal regulations. This

undercounting could be due to inconsistent

regulatory interpretations about when a

system falls under federal requirements and

limited resources for state regulators to identify

and inspect smaller distribution systems.

The committee that conducted the study

recommended that regulators should consistently

identify the location, condition, and risk

characteristics of smaller systems to confirm that

regulatory requirements and their enforcement are

appropriate. Additionally, regulators and operators

should ensure uniform interpretation of the term

“public place,” as its definition can lead to state-to-

state variability in enforcement of regulations.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety

Administration is formulating a policy strategy to

utilize the Academies’ recommendations, and

the report also appears on the agency’s website

as a resource.

The Academies’ study was funded by

the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety

Administration of the U.S. Department of

Transportation.

PUBLIC TRANSIT & SAFETY PLANNING

RECORDS

While generally having a strong safety record,

the public transit industry has been subject to

increasing state and federal safety oversight

stemming from several serious incidents. Federal

regulators intended to require public transit

systems to develop comprehensive safety plans,

but many transit agencies expressed concern that

the records generated could be used against them

in court as evidence, exposing them to significant

financial liabilities that would discourage critical

and candid safety planning.

The safety planning records of transit agencies

should not be admissible as evidence in civil

litigation, says Admissibility and Public Availability

of Transit Safety Planning Records. State highway

agencies and commuter railroads have been

granted such “evidentiary protections,” and the

committee that conducted the study found no

compelling reason to advise Congress against

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current practice by treating transit agencies

differently.

The report says that shielding certain safety

planning and management records from use in

court would help transit agencies critically analyze

and improve the safety of their systems. With such

admissibility protections in place, transit agencies

would no longer need to worry that their planning

records would create a legal liability when made

public. The committee, therefore, urged that

there should be no changes made to reduce the

availability of safety planning records under federal

and state open records laws, and every effort

should be made to ensure that the records subject

to the protections are made freely available for

public review and scrutiny.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit

Administration.

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NATURAL RESOURCESAND THE ENVIRONMENT

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REVIEW OF FEDERAL CLIMATE SCIENCE

REPORTS

The U.S. Global Change Research Program

(USGCRP) coordinates the National Climate

Assessment, which provides the United States with

the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation

of climate change impacts every four years.

USGCRP asked the National Academies

to review the draft Fourth National Climate

Assessment (NCA4), which evaluates the state of

climate science and the broad range of impacts of

climate change in the United States.

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate

Assessment concludes that the draft NCA4

accurately describes the science of climate change

and impacts occurring and likely to occur this

century across the U.S. It recommends some

revision to improve the communication of key

aspects of the draft NCA4 report to strengthen

and enhance its ability to reach broad audiences.

Improving linkages across the report’s different

chapters and topics also would better capture the

interconnected nature of many climate change

impacts. Any significant advancements made

since the Third National Climate Assessment

should be explicitly identified with emphasis on

emerging science, impacts, and examples of new

response actions.

A separate Academies committee was

appointed to review the draft of Second State

of the Carbon Cycle Report, a report that feeds

into the overall assessment process developed

by USGCRP and informs several chapters in the

NCA4. Review of the Draft Second State of the

Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) says the draft

provides an informative overview of current

scientific understanding of carbon cycle dynamics

across North America. Updates that would benefit

the draft include: providing consistency in how

carbon sources and sinks are described across

various chapters and figures; clarifying ambiguities

in the geographic scope of the assessment;

focusing key findings on describing what has

specifically been learned from new research; and

expanding discussion of opportunities for effective

management of carbon sources and sinks.

The final Fourth National Climate Assessment

and Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report

were both released on Nov. 23, 2018, with

acknowledgements of the National Academies’

reviews and summaries of the extensive revisions

made in response.

The Academies’ studies were funded by

USGCRP.

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PROMISING TECHNOLOGIES FOR CARBON

DIOXIDE REMOVAL

While most climate mitigation efforts focus on

decreasing the rate at which people are adding

carbon from fossil fuels into the atmosphere,

negative emissions technologies (NETs) take

carbon out of the air and put it back into

ecosystems and the Earth. These technologies are

expected to provide approximately 30 percent of

the net emissions reductions required this century,

yet have not received adequate public investment.

Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable

Sequestration: A Research Agenda recommends the

nation launch a substantial research initiative to

advance promising NETs as soon as possible, to

bring these technologies to scale and make them

cost-effective. Not only will NETs play a significant

role in meeting climate goals, they could offer

considerable economic rewards to the nations that

develop the best technologies. Any intellectual

property held by U.S. companies would benefit the

U.S. economy.

Four land-based NETs — reforestation,

changes in forest management, changes in

agricultural practices to enhance carbon uptake

and storage by soil, and biomass energy with

carbon capture and sequestration — are ready

for large-scale deployment. Despite their benefits,

these NETs cannot yet provide enough carbon

removal at a reasonable cost without imposing

substantial changes in land use, leading to reduced

agricultural productivity and biodiversity. Two

additional NETs — direct air capture and carbon

mineralization — could be revolutionary because

of their high potential capacity to remove carbon.

However, they are not ready for deployment

because direct air capture is currently limited by

high cost and carbon mineralization is limited by a

lack of fundamental understanding.

The research initiative should pursue ways

to improve existing land-based NETs, make

rapid progress on direct air capture and carbon

mineralization, and advance NET-enabling research

on biofuels and carbon dioxide sequestration, the

report recommends.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

U.S. Department of Energy, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey,

V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation, Linden Trust

for Conservation, and Incite Labs, with support

from the National Academy of Sciences’

Arthur L. Day Fund.

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LATEST REVIEW OF EPA’S IRIS PROGRAM

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

program is used to assess the hazards posed by

environmental contaminants. A transformation

of the IRIS program began several years ago

after the release of a 2011 National Academies

report that provided suggestions for creating a

more systematic and transparent IRIS process.

Another Academies report in 2014 reviewed the

changes implemented, and concluded that the

improvements were considerable.

The Academies’ latest review, Progress Toward

Transforming the Integrated Risk Information System

(IRIS) Program: A 2018 Evaluation, finds that EPA

has made substantial progress in implementing

recommendations outlined in the past reports and

has improved the program’s overall scientific and

technical performance.

Under new leadership, the IRIS program

has incorporated systematic-review methods

into its process and assessments. These changes

are important for identifying, evaluating, and

summarizing findings from current literature

and integrating the evidence available to inform

decisions. The program has also developed a

number of collaborations with groups such as the

World Health Organization that will help build

its position as a leader in advancing systematic-

review methods.

The report urges EPA to give high priority

to the completion, peer review, and release of

its IRIS handbook, which will be used to guide

development of IRIS assessment. The still-evolving

program will require some refinements and will

need to evolve as it adapts and applies new

scientific approaches and knowledge.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency.

GUIDANCE FOR MANAGING CITRUS

GREENING

Since citrus greening disease or huanglongbing

(HLB) was first detected in Florida in 2005, the

state has seen a steady decline in citrus tree

productivity, causing a cumulative loss of

$2.9 billion in grower revenues from 2007 to

2014, and a 58 percent decline in production

volume since 2005. This complex and destructive

disease — characterized by blotchy mottling of

citrus tree leaves, a stunting of shoots, the gradual

death of branches, and small deformed fruits with

bitter juice — poses a serious threat to Florida’s

citrus industry and has progressed from an acute

to a chronic disease throughout the state.

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A Review of the Citrus Greening Research and

Development Efforts Supported by the Citrus Research

and Development Foundation: Fighting a Ravaging

Disease says that a single breakthrough discovery

for managing citrus greening in Florida in the

future is unlikely. It calls for a systems approach to

prioritize research on the disease and strategically

distribute resources for research to effectively

manage the disease.

The Citrus Research and Development

Foundation (CRDF), a $124 million state/citrus

industry initiative, has invested nearly 90 percent

of its funding in researching HLB. While CRDF

and other funders have increased our knowledge

about the disease, researchers have been unable

to culture the HLB bacteria and lack advanced

diagnostics for early disease detection and

standardized research methodology to compare

results across studies.

The report recommends continued support for

research on short-term solutions for the industry

to remain viable while longer term approaches

are being developed, and finding the best

combinations of control methods that are suited to

different environmental and growing conditions,

vector and pathogen pressure, tree varieties, and

tree health, which would help growers in Florida

and other states where HLB also occurs. New

technology such as gene modification and gene

editing, which focus on targets that mediate

molecular interactions among plant, bacteria, and

the vector, may offer solutions in the long term.

CRDF should create accessible databases to

support sociological and economic modeling

of citrus greening-related research outcomes

and application projections. The report also

recommends researchers communicate the

outcomes and evaluation of their efforts in a timely

and systematic way. CRDF should work with other

funding agencies to create an overarching advisory

panel to develop a master plan for HLB research,

communication, and management.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Citrus Research and Development Foundation.

FACTORING CHANGE INTO EVERGLADES

RESTORATION

Significant evidence is pointing to climate change

and an acceleration in sea-level rise in South

Florida, which will have a profound impact on the

Everglades ecosystem and the ability of the water

management infrastructure to provide protection

against floods and meet future regional water

demands. Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades:

The Seventh Biennial Review — 2018 says state and

federal agencies responsible for Comprehensive

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Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) efforts should

conduct a mid-course assessment to rigorously

analyze scenarios of future change to better

manage the ecosystem.

The multibillion-dollar CERP was created in

2000 to reverse the decline of the Everglades.

The original plan assumed that rainfall and

temperatures observed from 1965 to 1999

captured the full range of changes expected

throughout the 21st century. The National

Academies’ latest review of CERP notes that

progress has been made in project construction

and in improving water quality, but the plan

currently lacks a comprehensive understanding

of the combined benefits of CERP projects

systemwide or in the context of sea-level rise and

climate change.

Analysis of potential effects of climate change

and sea-level rise is necessary in planning for all

projects so that investments lead to a system which

is more resilient to future conditions. The report

recommends full implementation of adaptive

management and improved monitoring, allowing

new knowledge to be applied through a flexible

decision-making process.

A science program focused on understanding

the impacts of current and future threats on the

South Florida ecosystem should be established to

ensure agencies have the latest scientific findings

and tools to successfully plan and implement the

restoration program.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, U.S. Department

of the Interior, and the South Florida Water

Management District.

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THE SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE

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ENCRYPTION AND SECURITY

Encryption is a vital tool for protecting the

information security of financial institutions,

retailers, governments, and many other

organizations, as well as for individuals who

wish to maintain the privacy of Internet

communications or data on their personal

computers and smartphones. Law enforcement

officials, however, say that encryption technology

is restricting their access to information needed for

criminal and national security investigations. And

recent progress toward development of powerful

quantum computers raises concerns about whether

today’s encryption technologies will continue to be

effective in the future.

Decrypting the Encryption Debate: A Framework

for Decision Makers offers a strategy for evaluating

proposals that would provide authorized

government agencies with access to unencrypted

versions of encrypted communications and

other data.

Although the law enforcement community

has called for reliable, timely, and scalable ways to

access encrypted information, legal and practical

objections have been raised about the risks to

privacy, civil liberties, and security in the face of

increasing cyber threats. One of the fundamental

trade-offs underlying the debate is that adding

capabilities for government to access encrypted

information necessarily will weaken the security of

an encrypted product or service to some degree,

while the absence of such access inevitably hampers

government investigations to some extent.

The aim of the report’s framework is not

simply to help policymakers determine whether

a particular proposed approach is desirable but

also to ensure it is implemented in a way that

maximizes effectiveness while minimizing harmful

side effects.

A second report, Quantum Computing:

Progress and Prospects, underscores the

importance of work to ensure that public-key

cryptography — a basis for the security of today’s

computers and networks — will be resilient

against an attack by a quantum computer.

Unlike conventional computers, a quantum

computer utilizes the unusual characteristics of

quantum mechanics — the nonintuitive behavior

of very small particles — to perform computation

and encodes information as quantum bits or

“qubits.” While it is effectively impossible to defeat

currently deployed encryption using the best

available conventional computer, an advanced

quantum computer could potentially perform this

task in no more than a few hours.

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Despite recent progress in quantum

computing R&D, significant engineering

challenges would need to be overcome before

such a device could be built. Therefore, it

is highly unlikely that a quantum computer

capable of compromising current encryption

will be built within the next decade, the report

says. It emphasizes, however, the need to begin

transitioning to quantum-resilient cryptography

well before such a device is built, as it takes longer

than a decade to replace existing web standards.

The report also notes that the speed of

quantum computing could lead to important

applications. Research on quantum computing

has already stimulated advancements in computer

science by motivating or informing improvements

in the design of classical computer algorithms.

The research has also helped generate progress

in physics in areas such as quantum gravity, and

could lead to advances in other areas of quantum

information science and engineering, including for

quantum sensing technologies.

Research on quantum computing has clear

implications for national security. Any entity

that has a large-scale quantum computer could

break through encryption to read intercepted

communications or stored data. While the U.S.

has historically played a leading role in developing

quantum technologies, quantum information

science and engineering is now a global field, and

many other nations have made large resource

commitments, the report says. Continued U.S.

support for this field is of strategic value and

imperative if the country wants to maintain its

leadership position.

Decrypting the Encryption Debate was funded

by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,

and the National Science Foundation. Quantum

Computing was funded by the Office of the

Director of National Intelligence.

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE BEYOND EARTH

In recent years, knowledge has grown about what

factors make a planet elsewhere in the solar system

or beyond hospitable to life. Researchers are better

able to detect directly or indirectly those aspects

of a planet’s environment that may indicate

habitability or even the presence of life, now or

in the past.

An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life

in the Universe says that scientific advances in

astrobiology — the study of the origin, evolution,

distribution, and future of life in the universe

— strengthen the case for its pursuit in NASA

missions and provide many opportunities to

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increase collaboration with other scientific fields

and organizations.

NASA should support research on a broader

range of biosignatures — the lines of evidence

used to look for current and past life, the report

says. An updated, more sophisticated catalog and

framework for biosignatures will be important

to enhance our ability to detect both life as we

know it on Earth, and, potentially, life forms

fundamentally different from any known today.

A comprehensive framework could also aid

in distinguishing between biosignatures and

abiotic (non-living) phenomena, and improve

understanding of the potential for biosignatures

to be preserved, or not, over long planetary

time scales. The report points to recent advances

revealing the breadth and diversity of life below

Earth’s surface; the nature of fluids beneath the

surface of Mars; and the likelihood of life-sustaining

geological processes in the oceans under the icy

surfaces of the moons of the outer solar system.

Astrobiology should be integrated into

all stages of future exploratory missions, from

inception to development to operations, the report

says. NASA should also ramp up efforts to develop

mission-ready life-detection technologies. The

specialized measurements, equipment, and analysis

required to take full advantage of space missions

include some that exist outside of traditional

space science fields, highlighting the need for

interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration with

organizations outside of NASA, such as private,

philanthropic, and international organizations,

especially international space agencies.

A second report, Exoplanet Science Strategy,

says that NASA should lead a large direct-

imaging mission — an advanced space telescope

— capable of studying Earth-like exoplanets

orbiting sun-like stars. Doing so would broaden

our knowledge about potentially habitable

environments beyond Earth and be integral to the

search for scientific evidence of life. Also, such a

mission would help researchers understand the

formation and evolution of planetary systems as

products of star formation.

Ground-based astronomy — enabled by

two U.S.-led telescopes — will also play a pivotal

role in studying planet formation and terrestrial

worlds, the report says. The future Giant Magellan

Telescope and proposed Thirty Meter Telescope

would allow profound advances in imaging and

spectroscopy — observations of the absorption and

emission of light — of entire planetary systems.

They also could detect molecular oxygen in the

atmospheres of Earth-like planets in transit around

small nearby stars. The report recommends that

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the National Science Foundation invest in both

telescopes and their exoplanet instrumentation

to provide all-sky access to the U.S. scientific

community.

The report also says that two previously

recommended missions — the James Webb

Space Telescope and the Wide Field Infrared

Survey Telescope — will each play crucial roles

in the search for potentially habitable planets.

NASA should carry out both of these missions,

as planned, while also expanding its research

collaboration initiative, Nexus for Exoplanet System

Science, as the model for supporting a cross-

divisional, interdisciplinary research effort.

Both of the Academies’ studies were funded

by NASA.

THE VALUE OF SPACE-BASED EARTH

OBSERVATIONS

Satellite observation of Earth provides a unique

global perspective that continually transforms

understanding of the Earth system and also enables

the development of applications and services of

vital importance to the nation. Earth observations

are used to improve agricultural and ocean

productivity, forecast weather and its extremes,

track drought, monitor air quality, and support

operations of the armed services, to name but a

few applications.

To continue advancing such capabilities and

scientific understanding, a National Academies

report calls for NASA, the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S.

Geological Survey to implement a coordinated

approach for their space-based environmental

observations. Thriving on Our Changing Planet:

A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation From

Space outlines a robust, resilient, and balanced

U.S. program of Earth observations from space

through 2027 that reflects new needs in several

priority areas.

The report — representing the work of over

100 Earth scientists, engineers, and policy experts

— identifies a set of key questions that focus on

fields where scientific advances and information

capabilities are most needed. Top priority questions

include: How can environmental predictions of

weather and air quality be extended to seamlessly

forecast Earth-system conditions at lead times of

one week to two months? How do anthropogenic

changes in climate, land use, water use, and water

storage interact and affect water and energy

cycles? What processes determine the long-term

variations in air pollution and their subsequent

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long-term recurring and cumulative impacts on

human health, agriculture, and ecosystems?

Federal investments in Earth-observation

capabilities have failed to keep pace with the

increasing information needs of businesses and

individuals and the overall value of this information

to the nation, the report says. Although budget

constraints will remain a practical concern during

the next decade in terms of making progress

with new space-based observational capabilities,

the report recommends innovative methods for

achieving progress within those constraints.

The Academies’ study was funded by NASA,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

and the U.S. Geological Survey.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS FOR U.S. FOOD

AND AGRICULTURE

Water scarcity, increased weather variability,

floods and droughts, as well as costly and

deadly outbreaks of food-borne illness and

the constant threat of pests and pathogens to

crops, livestock, and poultry are examples of the

formidable challenges confronting the U.S. food

and agricultural enterprise. Science Breakthroughs

to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by

2030 identifies the most promising scientific

breakthroughs that are achievable within a decade

to mitigate those and other stresses on the food

and agriculture system.

Making progress will require a convergent

research approach that merges advances in

materials science, information technology,

behavioral sciences, and other fields. The report

identifies five breakthrough opportunities to

increase dramatically the capabilities of science to

address urgent challenges in food and agriculture,

and includes recommendations for a range of

federal agencies, as well as federal and private

funders and researchers.

• Transdisciplinary, systems research to

understand the nature of interactions among

the different elements of the food and

agricultural system can be leveraged to increase

overall system efficiency, resilience, and

sustainability.

• The development and validation of highly

sensitive, field-deployable sensors and

biosensors will enable rapid detection and

monitoring capabilities across various food and

agricultural disciplines.

• The application and integration of data

sciences, software tools, and systems models

will enable advanced analytics for managing

the food and agricultural system.

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• The ability to carry out routine gene editing of

agriculturally important organisms will allow

for precise and rapid improvement of traits

important for productivity and quality.

• Understanding the relevance of the

microbiome to agriculture and harnessing

this knowledge will improve crop production,

transform feed efficiency, and increase

resilience to stress and disease.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of

2018 urges the secretary of agriculture to use

the National Academies’ report to identify

opportunities for additional investments within the

department’s flagship competitive grants program,

the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation,

Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research,

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute

of Food and Agriculture, National Science

Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATION OF

HUMAN GENOME EDITING

In the past few years, research has increasingly

employed CRISPR/Cas9 and other groundbreaking

tools to edit the human genome more precisely

than ever before. While clinical trials are planned

for non-heritable genome-editing applications to

treat blood disorders and other genetic diseases,

many questions remain about the science,

application, ethics, and oversight of this fast-

moving area of science and medicine. Of particular

concern is heritable genome editing, through

which genetic alterations may be passed on to

future generations.

Recognizing that the issues raised by

genome editing transcend national borders,

the National Academies have drawn upon their

ability to gather individuals from around the

world and across disciplines to advance global

dialogue on this complex subject. The National

Academy of Sciences and National Academy of

Medicine organized two international summits

and a consensus study to explore the issues that

surround human genome editing. The most recent

summit, the Second International Summit on Human

Genome Editing — co-hosted with the Academy of

Sciences of Hong Kong and the Royal Society of

the U.K. in 2018 — brought together more than

500 researchers, ethicists, clinicians, representatives

from patient groups, and others to discuss

the science, ethics, and governance of human

genome editing research and its applications. The

live webcast of the summit in Hong Kong also

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attracted over a million viewers from more than

190 nations and jurisdictions.

The summit had already been getting

widespread news coverage when a Chinese

researcher revealed that he had edited early

human embryos, which were used to establish a

pregnancy that resulted in the birth of twins. The

research drew strong criticism from the summit’s

organizers and many in the global scientific

community. In a statement issued at the conclusion

of the summit, the international, multidisciplinary

organizing committee stated that “the scientific

understanding and technical requirements for

clinical practice remain too uncertain and the

risks too great to permit clinical trials of germline

editing at this time.” The statement called for a

rigorous, responsible translational pathway for

such clinical trials.

The events in Hong Kong underscore the

urgent need for broader exploration and analysis

of genome editing. To further international

dialogue, the NAS and NAM, along with the

Royal Society, will serve as the secretariat for a

global commission being formed to further define

specific criteria and standards for evaluating

whether proposed clinical trials of human

germline editing should be permitted.

FOSTERING THE NEXT GENERATION

OF SCIENTISTS

Years of warning signs indicate that the U.S.

biomedical enterprise may be calcifying in ways

that create barriers for the incoming generation

of researchers. Many new Ph.D.s spend long

periods in postdoctoral positions with low salaries,

inadequate training, and little opportunity for

independent research. As of 2016, for those

researchers who do transition into independent

research positions, the average age for securing

their first major NIH independent grant is 43 years

old, compared with 36 years old in 1980.

The Next Generation of Biomedical and

Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through

calls for a series of substantial reforms to

strengthen the U.S. biomedical research system

for the next generation of scientists. The report

includes recommendations to open career paths

inside and outside of academia for early career

scientists, broaden responsibility among public and

private stakeholders for the future of the research

ecosystem, and increase policy experimentation

and investment in that research ecosystem, so that

scientists are empowered to imagine and explore

new and innovative treatments for diseases and

improvements to health and well-being.

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Academic institutions should collect,

analyze, and disseminate comprehensive data on

outcomes, demographics, and career aspirations

of biomedical and behavioral science researchers.

These institutions should also work with the

National Institutes of Health to increase the

number of individuals in staff scientist positions,

in order to provide more stable, non-faculty

research opportunities for the next generation of

researchers.

In addition, the report urges Congress to

establish a Biomedical Research Enterprise Council

— a public-private partnership of stakeholders to

provide collective guardianship of the biomedical

research enterprise and address ongoing

challenges confronting the next generation of

biomedical and behavioral researchers. Congress

should also consider increasing NIH’s budget to

enable it to more robustly support early career

researchers, and work with the agency to promote

innovative pilot projects that seek to improve and

accelerate transitions into independent careers.

The report also recommends that NIH expand

existing awards or create new competitive awards

for postdoctoral researchers to advance their own

independent research, and to ensure that the

duration of all R01 research grants supporting

early-stage investigators is no less than five years to

enable the establishment of resilient independent

research programs.

Following the report’s release, the advisory

committee to the director of NIH formed a Next

Generation Researchers Initiative working group,

which developed a set of recommendations

informed by the report.

The Academies’ study was funded by the

National Institutes of Health and the Bloomberg

Philanthropies.

BIODEFENSE IN THE AGE OF

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

Synthetic biology — a field that creates

technologies that enable one to re-engineer

existing organisms and potentially create new

ones not found in nature — is being pursued

overwhelmingly for beneficial purposes such

as treating diseases, improving agricultural

yields, and mitigating pollution. Even though

the contributions synthetic biology can make to

society hold great promise, it is also possible to

imagine harmful applications that could be used to

threaten military personnel and U.S. citizens.

Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology

says synthetic biology expands the possibility of

creating new weapons — including more virulent

bacteria and viruses — and decreases the time

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required to engineer them. The U.S. Department

of Defense should monitor new developments

in this emerging field, as some malicious

applications of synthetic biology that may not

seem plausible now could become achievable

with future advances.

The committee that conducted the study

developed a framework that it used to analyze

potential vulnerabilities enabled by synthetic

biology. The results were based on the availability

and ease of use of the technologies, the challenges

of producing an effective weapon, the expertise

and resources required to carry out an attack, and

both proactive and reactive measures that might

be taken to help mitigate the effects of an attack.

The report includes a listing of synthetic biology

capabilities ranked from highest level of concern

to lowest.

Many of the traditional approaches of

biological and chemical defense are relevant to

synthetic biology-enabled threats, but the field of

synthetic biology will also present new challenges,

so DOD and its partners should continue to

explore strategies that can be applied to a wide

range of threats. Since novel weapons might be

unpredictable and hard to monitor or detect, DOD

should also consider evaluating how the public

health infrastructure needs to be strengthened to

adequately recognize a potential attack.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Defense.

U.S. GOALS FOR BURNING PLASMA

RESEARCH

Burning plasma — an ionized gas heated to

extremely high temperatures by fusion reactions,

similar to processes that power the sun and

stars — is a key requirement for making fusion

energy. As an energy source, fusion has significant

environmental advantages, as it produces

abundant energy from heavy hydrogen found in

water and lithium.

Final Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan

for U.S. Burning Plasma Research says that to benefit

from its investments in fusion energy, the U.S.

should continue to participate in the International

Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project

and also start a national research program for

burning plasma in order to build a compact pilot

plant that produces electricity from fusion at the

lowest possible capital cost.

A compact pilot plant could produce power

similar to that expected in ITER but in a device

much smaller in size and cost and employing

design improvements that would allow net

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electricity production. As a pilot plant, its purpose

would be for learning, and the knowledge

obtained would be sufficient to design the first

commercial fusion power systems, the report

says. In addition, burning plasma research is

interdisciplinary and results in technological and

scientific achievements that lead to new insights

in related fields, such as fluid mechanics and

astrophysics.

ITER plays a central role in U.S. research

activities and is the only existing project that is

expected to create and study burning plasma.

Without ITER, the U.S. would need to design,

license, and construct an alternative means to gain

experience creating and controlling an energy-

producing burning plasma. As a result, the scale

of research facilities domestically would be more

costly, and producing electricity from fusion would

be delayed.

Nevertheless, if the U.S. does decide to

withdraw from ITER, the U.S. Department of

Energy should initiate a plan to continue research

that will lead toward the construction of a compact

fusion plant, the report says. By starting this work,

important results can be achieved in a time frame

such that, combined with knowledge learned from

ITER, electricity production may be possible by

midcentury. The strategic value of a new national

focus on developing this plant will help set

research priorities for a near- and mid-term fusion

program.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Energy.

BENEFITS OF AN ELECTRON-ION

COLLIDER

Pursuing a better understanding of the atom has

led to the discovery of chemistry, thermodynamics,

quantum mechanics, and molecular biology, to

name a few, and applications of nuclear science

contribute in many ways to health, development,

and security worldwide.

An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider

Science says an electron-ion collider (EIC) — a very

large-scale particle accelerator — could answer

science questions that are significant to advancing

our understanding of the atomic nuclei that make

up all visible matter in the universe.

A new EIC accelerator facility would have

capabilities beyond previous electron scattering

machines in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Comparing

all existing and proposed accelerator facilities

around the world, the report says that an EIC with

high energy and luminosity, and highly polarized

electron and ion beams, would be unique and in a

position to greatly further nuclear science.

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Currently, the Brookhaven National Laboratory

(BNL) in Long Island, New York, has a heavy

ion collider, and the Thomas Jefferson National

Accelerator Laboratory (JLab) in Newport News,

Virginia, has very energetic electron beams.

Both labs have proposed design concepts for

an EIC that would use their already available

infrastructure, expertise, and experience. Without

favoring one over the other, the report says that

taking advantage of the existing facilities would

make development of an EIC cost-effective and

reduce associated risks that come with building

a large accelerator facility. However, federal R&D

investment has been and would continue to

be crucial to minimizing design risks in a timely

fashion and to addressing outstanding accelerator

challenges.

Along with furthering science, an EIC would

also play a valuable role in sustaining the U.S.

nuclear physics workforce in the coming decades,

and would more broadly advance technologies

that result from the research and development

required for implementing and constructing it.

The Academies’ study was funded by the U.S.

Department of Energy.

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DEFENSE, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND SPACE

2017-2018 Assessment of the Army Research Laboratory: Interim Report

Aeronautics 2050 — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Alternatives for the Demilitarization of Conventional Munitions

An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe (page 35)

Changing Sociocultural Dynamics and Implications for National Security — Proceedings of a Workshop

Combat Search and Rescue in Highly Contested Environments — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Combat Vehicle Weight Reduction by Materials Substitution — Proceedings of a Workshop

Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (CUAS) Capability for Battalion-and-Below Operations: Abbreviated Version of a Restricted Report

Creating Capability for Future Air Force Innovation — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Decrypting the Encryption Debate: A Framework for Decision Makers (page 34)

Emerging Trends and Methods in International Security — Proceedings of a Workshop

Exoplanet Science Strategy (page 35)

Globalization of Defense Materials and Manufacturing — Proceedings of a Workshop

Leveraging Advances in Social Network Thinking for National Security — Proceedings of a Workshop

Multi-Domain Command and Control — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Open Source Software Policy Options for NASA Earth and Space Sciences

Recoverability as a First-Class Security Objective — Proceedings of a Workshop

Report 2 on Tracking and Assessing Governance and Management Reform in the Nuclear Security Enterprise

Report Series — Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics: Mission Concept Studies

Review and Assessment of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes

Strategic Investments in Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and Analysis

Testing at the Speed of Light: The State of U.S. Electronic Parts Space Radiation Testing Infrastructure

Understanding Narratives for National Security — Proceedings of a Workshop

Visions Into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022: A Midterm Review

Workforce Development and Intelligence Analysis for National Security Purposes — Proceedings of a Workshop

EDUCATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Addressing the Social and Cultural Norms That Underlie the Acceptance of Violence — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Aging and Disability: Beyond Stereotypes to Inclusion — Proceedings of a Workshop

Behavioral Economics and the Promotion of Health Among Aging Populations — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Studies and Projects Completed in 2018

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The Criminal Justice System and Social Exclusion: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Data Science for Undergraduates: Opportunities and Options

Design, Selection, and Implementation of Instructional Materials for the Next Generation Science Standards — Proceedings of a Workshop

Engineering Societies’ Activities in Promoting Diversity and Inclusion — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives (page 7)

Future Directions for the Demography of Aging — Proceedings of a Workshop

Graduate Medical Education Outcomes and Metrics — Proceedings of a Workshop

Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century

How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures

Improving Care to Prevent Suicide Among People With Serious Mental Illness — Proceedings of a Workshop

The Integration of the Humanities and Arts With Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education: Branches From the Same Tree

Learning From the Science of Cognition and Perception for Decision Making — Proceedings of a Workshop

Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design

Letter Report on the 2020 Census

Minority Serving Institutions: America’s Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM Workforce (page 10)

Modernizing Crime Statistics: Report 2 — New Systems for Measuring Crime (page 11)

The Neurocognitive and Psychosocial Impacts of Violence and Trauma — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Opportunities for Improving Programs and Services for Children With Disabilities (page 7)

Public Policy Approaches to Violence Prevention — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Reengineering the Census Bureau’s Annual Economic Surveys

Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center (page 6)

Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy (page 10)

Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (page 8)

Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education (page 5)

An Undergraduate Competition Based on the Grand Challenges for Engineering: Planning and Initial Steps — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Understanding Measures of Faculty Impact and the Role of Engineering Societies — Proceedings of a Workshop

Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Achieving Rural Health Equity and Well-Being — Proceedings of a Workshop

Advancing Obesity Solutions Through Investments in the Built Environment — Proceedings of a Workshop

Advancing the Science of Patient Input in Medical Product R&D: Towards a Research Agenda — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Advancing Therapeutic Development for Pain and Opioid Use Disorders Through Public-Private Partnerships — Proceedings of a Workshop

An American Crisis: The Growing Absence of Black Men in Medicine and Science — Proceedings of a Joint Workshop

Building the Case for Health Literacy — Proceedings of a Workshop

Community-Based Health Literacy Interventions — Proceedings of a Workshop

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Considerations for the Design of a Systematic Review of Care Interventions for Individuals With Dementia and Their Caregivers: Letter Report

Crossing the Global Quality Chasm: Improving Health Care Worldwide

A Design Thinking, Systems Approach to Well-Being Within Education and Practice — Proceedings of a Workshop

Enabling Novel Treatments for Nervous System Disorders by Improving Methods for Traversing the Blood-Brain Barrier — Proceedings of a Workshop

Engaging the Private-Sector Health Care System in Building Capacity to Respond to Threats to the Public’s Health and National Security — Proceedings of a Workshop

Establishing Effective Patient Navigation Programs in Oncology — Proceedings of a Workshop

Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services (page 19)

Examining Special Nutritional Requirements in Disease States — Proceedings of a Workshop

Examining the Impact of Real-World Evidence on Medical Product Development: I. Incentives — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Examining the Impact of Real-World Evidence on Medical Product Development: II. Practical Approaches — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Exploring Early Childhood Care and Education Levers to Improve Population Health — Proceedings of a Workshop

Exploring Early Childhood Care and Education Levers to Improve Population Health — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Exploring Partnership Governance in Global Health — Proceedings of a Workshop

Exploring Partnership Governance in Global Health — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Exploring Tax Policy to Advance Population Health, Health Equity, and Economic Prosperity — Proceedings of a Workshop

Exploring Tax Policy to Advance Population Health, Health Equity, and Economic Prosperity — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Faith-Health Collaboration to Improve Population Health — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Financing and Payment Strategies to Support High-Quality Care for People With Serious Illness — Proceedings of a Workshop

The Future of Health Services Research: Advancing Health Systems Research and Practice in the United States — National Academy of Medicine Special Publication

Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem (page 16)

Global Harmonization of Methodological Approaches to Nutrient Intake Recommendations — Proceedings of a Workshop

Global Harmonization of Methodological Approaches to Nutrient Intake Recommendations — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Global Health Transitions and Sustainable Solutions: The Role of Partnerships — Proceedings of a Workshop

Gulf War and Health, Volume 11: Generational Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War (page 18)

Harmonization of Approaches to Nutrient Reference Values: Applications to Young Children and Women of Reproductive Age

Harnessing Mobile Devices for Nervous System Disorders — Proceedings of a Workshop

Health Literacy and Older Adults: Reshaping the Landscape — Proceedings of a Workshop

Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination

Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health — Proceedings of a Workshop

Impact of the Global Medical Supply Chain on SNS [Strategic National Stockpile] Operations and Communications — Proceedings of a Workshop

Implementing and Evaluating Genomic Screening Programs in Health Care Systems — Proceedings of a Workshop

Implementing Quality Measures for Accountability in Community-Based Care for People With Serious Illness — Proceedings of a Workshop

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Improving Cancer Diagnosis and Care: Patient Access to Oncologic Imaging and Pathology Expertise and Technologies — Proceedings of a Workshop

Improving Health Professional Education and Practice Through Technology — Proceedings of a Workshop

Improving Health Research on Small Populations — Proceedings of a Workshop

Integrating Responses at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics — Proceedings of a Workshop

Long-Term Survivorship Care After Cancer Treatment — Proceedings of a Workshop

Medical Product Shortages During Disasters: Opportunities to Predict, Prevent, and Respond — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Monitoring and Sampling Approaches to Assess Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposures (page 17)

Neuroforensics: Exploring the Legal Implications of Emerging Neurotechnologies — Proceedings of a Workshop

Nutrigenomics and the Future of Nutrition — Proceedings of a Workshop

Nutrigenomics and the Future of Nutrition — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Opportunities to Enhance the Health and Well-Being of the Department of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Workforce — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Permanent Supportive Housing: Evaluating the Evidence for Improving Health Outcomes Among People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness

Physician-Assisted Death: Scanning the Landscape — Proceedings of a Workshop

Procuring Interoperability: Achieving High-Quality, Connected, and Person-Centered Care — National Academy of Medicine Special Publication

A Proposed Framework for Integration of Quality Performance Measures for Health Literacy, Cultural Competence, and Language Access Services — Proceedings of a Workshop

Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes (page 14)

Returning Individual Research Results to Participants: Guidance for a New Research Paradigm

Reusable Elastomeric Respirators in Health Care: Considerations for Routine and Surge Use

Review of NASA’s Evidence Reports on Human Health Risks: 2017 Letter Report

Review of Report and Approach to Evaluating Long-Term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects: Interim Report

Review of Report and Approach to Evaluating Long-Term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects

The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States (page 15)

A Smarter National Surveillance System for Occupational Safety and Health in the 21st Century

Sustainable Diets, Food, and Nutrition — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Understanding and Overcoming the Challenge of Obesity and Overweight in the Armed Forces — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Understanding Disparities in Access to Genomic Medicine — Proceedings of a Workshop

Understanding the Economics of Microbial Threats — Proceedings of a Workshop

Urbanization and Slums: Infectious Diseases in the Built Environment — Proceedings of a Workshop

Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 11 (2018)

Violence and Mental Health: Opportunities for Prevention and Early Detection — Proceedings of a Workshop

Women’s Mental Health Across the Life Course Through a Sex-Gender Lens — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

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INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, AND TECHNOLOGY

Adaptability of the U.S. Engineering and Technical Workforce — Proceedings of a Workshop

Advancing Economic Development and Workforce Readiness in Micropolitan Areas — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Assessing the Risks of Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems Into the National Airspace System (page 22)

Autonomy on Land and Sea and in the Air and Space — Proceedings of a Forum

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges

High-Performance Bolting Technology for Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Operations

The Human Factors of Process Safety and Worker Empowerment in the Offshore Oil Industry — Proceedings of a Workshop

Human-Automation Interaction Considerations for Unmanned Aerial System Integration Into the National Airspace System — Proceedings of a Workshop

Improving Data Collection and Measurement of Complex Farms

In-Time Aviation Safety Management: Challenges and Research for an Evolving Aviation System (page 22)

Measuring the 21st Century Science and Engineering Workforce Population: Evolving Needs

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs for the Next Ten Years and Beyond — Proceedings of a Symposium in Brief

Data Matters: Ethics, Data, and International Research Collaboration in a Changing World — Proceedings of a Workshop

Decarbonizing Transport for a Sustainable Future: Mitigating Impacts of the Changing Climate — Summary of the Fifth EU-U.S. Transportation Research Symposium

Deploying Sustainable Energy During Transitions: Implications of Recovery, Renewal, and Rebuilding — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

The Frontiers of Machine Learning: 2017 Raymond and Beverly Sackler U.S.-U.K. Scientific Forum

Identifying the Role of Violence and Its Prevention in the Post-2015 Global Agenda — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

International Coordination for Science Data Infrastructure — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Providing Reliable and Affordable Electricity in Countries With Energy Deficits — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Supporting Mathematics Teachers in the United States and Finland — Proceedings of a Workshop

U.S.-Iran Discussion on Environmental Trends — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Advances in Causal Understanding for Human Health Risk-Based Decision-Making — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Atlantic Offshore Renewable Energy Development and Fisheries — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Bioenergy With Carbon Capture and Storage Approaches for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Direct Air Capture and Mineral Carbonation Approaches for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Disposal of Surplus Plutonium at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Interim Report

Feasibility of Addressing Environmental Exposure Questions Using Department of Defense Biorepositories — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Future Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Energy Resources Program

The Future of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Observing, Understanding, and Modeling — Proceedings of a Workshop

Future Water Priorities for the Nation: Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area

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Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams Utilization: Status and Research Needs

Geologic Capture and Sequestration of Carbon — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States

Informing Environmental Health Decisions Through Data Integration — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Land Management Practices for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda (page 29)

Onshore Unconventional Hydrocarbon Development: Legacy Issues and Innovations in Managing Risk, Day 1 — Proceedings of a Workshop

Onshore Unconventional Hydrocarbon Development: Induced Seismicity and Innovations in Managing Risk, Day 2 — Proceedings of a Workshop

Opportunities and Approaches for Supplying Molybdenum-99 and Associated Medical Isotopes to Global Markets — Proceedings of a Symposium

Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Seventh Biennial Review — 2018 (page 31)

Progress Toward Transforming the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program: A 2018 Evaluation (page 30)

The Promise of Genome Editing Tools to Advance Environmental Health Research — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs

Review of the Analysis of Supplemental Treatment Approaches of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Review #1

A Review of the Citrus Greening Research and Development Efforts Supported by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation: Fighting a Ravaging Disease (page 30)

Review of the Draft Analysis of Supplemental Treatment Approaches of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Review #2

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (page 28)

Review of the Draft Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) (page 28)

Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan: Report 3

Review of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Operations Support Tool for Water Supply

The State of Resilience: A Leadership Forum and Community Workshop — Proceedings of a Workshop

Strategies for Effective Improvements to the BioWatch System — Proceedings of a Workshop

Understanding Pathways to a Paradigm Shift in Toxicity Testing and Decision-Making — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Understanding and Predicting the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current: Critical Gaps and Recommendations

Understanding the Long-Term Evolution of the Coupled Natural-Human Coastal System: The Future of the U.S. Gulf Coast

THE SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE

Advancing Disease Modeling in Animal-Based Research in Support of Precision Medicine — Proceedings of a Workshop

Animal Models for Microbiome Research: Advancing Basic and Translational Science — Proceedings of a Workshop

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Accelerate Translational Research — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

An Assessment of Four Divisions of the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology: Fiscal Year 2018

An Assessment of Four Divisions of the Physical Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology: Fiscal Year 2018

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An Assessment of the Center for Neutron Research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology: Fiscal Year 2018

An Assessment of U.S.-Based Electron-Ion Collider Science (page 43)

Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology (page 41)

ChemRxiv: Publishing in the Age of Preprint Servers — Proceedings of a Symposium in Brief

Collaborations of Consequence: NAKFI’s 15 Years Igniting Innovation at the Intersections of Disciplines

Data Science: Opportunities to Transform Chemical Sciences and Engineering — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Discovering the Deep Blue Sea: Research, Innovation, Social Engagement — Conference Summary

Final Report of the Committee on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research (page 42)

Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering From the 2017 Symposium

Governance of Dual Use Research in the Life Sciences: Advancing Global Consensus on Research Oversight — Proceedings of a Workshop

Methods to Foster Transparency and Reproducibility of Federal Statistics — Proceedings of a Workshop

The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through (page 40)

Open Science by Design: Realizing a Vision for 21st Century Research

Opportunities From the Integration of Simulation Science and Data Science — Proceedings of a Workshop

Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects (page 34)

Report of the Committee on Proposal Evaluation for Allocation of Supercomputing Time for the Study of Molecular Dynamics: Ninth Round

Revitalizing the University-Industry-Government Partnership: Creating New Opportunities for the 21st Century — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

The Role of State Governments in Economic Development and R&D Competitiveness — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 (page 38)

The Science of Science Communication III: Inspiring Novel Collaborations and Building Capacity — Proceedings of a Colloquium

Strategies for Engagement of Non-Traditional Partners in the Research Enterprise — Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

The Third Global Grand Challenges Summit Summary: Engineering for the Future

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation From Space (page 37)

TRANSPORTATION

10th SHRP 2 [Strategic Highway Research Program 2] Safety Data Symposium: From Analysis to Results

2018 National Household Travel Survey Workshop

ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act] Paratransit Service Models

Administration of ADA Paratransit Eligibility Appeal Programs

Admissibility and Public Availability of Transit Safety Planning Records (page 25)

Aggregate Quality Requirements for Pavements

Air Quality

Airport Air Quality Management 101

Airport Air Quality Resource Library

Airport Community, Water Quality Events, and the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule

Airport Operator Options for Delivery of FBO [Fixed Base Operator] Services

Airport Participation in Oil and Gas Development

Airport Public Health Preparedness and Response: Legal Rights, Powers, and Duties

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Airport Waste Management and Recycling Practices

Analysis of Work Zone Crash Characteristics and Countermeasures

Applying Census Data for Transportation: 50 Years of Transportation Planning Data Progress

Arterial Roadways Research Needs and Concerns: Informing the Planning, Design, and Operation of Arterial Roadways Considering Public Health

Asphalt Mixtures and Materials

Assessing the Environmental Justice Effects of Toll Implementation or Rate Changes: Guidebook and Toolbox

Automated Vehicles Symposium 2017

Aviation

Battery Electric Buses — State of the Practice

Bicycle Transportation 2018

Bridge Superstructure Tolerance to Total and Differential Foundation Movements

Broadening Understanding of the Interplay Among Public Transit, Shared Mobility, and Personal Automobiles

Cell Phone Location Data for Travel Behavior Analysis

Clean Vehicles, Fuels, and Practices for Airport Private Ground Transportation Providers

Climate Change and Decarbonization 2018

College Student Transit Pass Programs

Combining Individual Scour Components to Determine Total Scour

Commercial Space Operations Noise and Sonic Boom Modeling and Analysis

Common Performance Metrics for Airport Infrastructure and Operational Planning

Concrete Materials

Connected and Automated Vehicles 2018

Construction

Construction and Rehabilitation of Concrete Pavements Under Traffic

Continuing Project to Synthesize Information on Highway Problems, 2018

Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Vol. 1: Guidebook

Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Vol. 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles

Contracting Fixed-Route Bus Transit Service

Contribution of Steel Casing to Single Shaft Foundation Structural Resistance

Corrosion Prevention for Extending the Service Life of Steel Bridges

Culverts and Soil-Structure Interaction: Fifty Years of Change and a Twenty-Year Projection

Customer-Focused Service Guarantees and Transparency Practices

Data and Methods to Understand Travel

Dedicating Lanes for Priority or Exclusive Use by Connected and Automated Vehicles

Design Considerations for Airport EOCs [Emergency Operations Centers]

Design Guide for Low-Speed Multimodal Roadways

Designing Safety Regulations for High-Hazard Industries

Developing an Expanded Functional Classification System for More Flexibility on Geometric Design

Developing Countries

Development and Management of Sustainable Enterprise Information Portals

Effects of Information and Communications Technology on Travel Choices

Enhanced AEDT [Aviation Environmental Design Tool] Modeling of Aircraft Arrival and Departure Profiles, Vol. 1: Guidance

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Enhanced AEDT Modeling of Aircraft Arrival and Departure Profiles, Vol. 2: Research Report

Environment and Energy

Environmental Justice Analyses When Considering Toll Implementation or Rate Changes: Final Report

Estimating the Safety Effects of Work Zone Characteristics and Countermeasures: A Guidebook

Executive Summary for the Guidebook on Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations

An Expanded Functional Classification System for Highways and Streets

Field Evaluation of Reflected Noise From a Single Noise Barrier

Field Performance of Corrugated Pipe Manufactured With Recycled Polyethylene Content

Fracture-Critical System Analysis for Steel Bridges

Freeway Operations; Regional Systems Management and Operations; Managed Lanes 2018

Freight Systems

Geological, Geoenvironmental, and Geotechnical Engineering

Glossary of Transportation Construction Quality Assurance Terms: Seventh Edition

Guidance for Development and Management of Sustainable Enterprise Information Portals

Guidance for Evaluating the Safety Impacts of Intersection Sight Distance

Guidance for Underwater Installation of Filter Systems

Guide for the Analysis of Multimodal Corridor Access Management

Guide to Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation for Departments of Transportation

Guidebook for Advanced Computerized Maintenance Management System Integration at Airports

Guidebook on Building Airport Workforce Capacity

Guidebook to Funding Transportation Through Land Value Return and Recycling

Guidelines for Integrating Safety and Cost-Effectiveness Into Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation (3R) Projects

Guidelines for Managing Geotechnical Risks in Design-Build Projects

Guidelines for Shielding Bridge Piers

Handbook for Examining the Effects of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Brokerages on Transportation Coordination

Highway Capacity and Quality of Service 2018

Highway Design 2018

Highway Safety Performance and Statistical Methods 2018

How Transportation Agencies Assess the Value of Added Capacity Highway Projects Versus Other Modal Projects and Strategies

How Weather Affects the Noise You Hear From Highways

Impact of the Americans With Disabilities Act on Transit Agency Liability

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 1: Legal Landscape

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 2: State Legal and Regulatory Audit

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 3: Legal Modification Prioritization and Harmonization Analysis

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 4: Autonomous Vehicle Action Plan

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 5: Developing the Autonomous Vehicle Action Plan

Implications of Connected and Automated Driving Systems, Vol. 6: Implementation Plan

Improved Analysis of Two-Lane Highway Capacity and Operational Performance

Incorporating ADA and Functional Needs in Emergency Exercises

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Inertial Profiler Certification for Evaluation of International Roughness Index

Information Technology, Geospatial Information, and Advanced Computing

Innovations in Asphalt Mixture Design Procedures

In-Service Performance Evaluation of Guardrail End Treatments

Integrated Transportation and Land Use Models

Integration of Roadway Safety Data from State and Local Sources

Intelligent Transportation Systems 2018

Investment Prioritization Methods for Low-Volume Roads

Knowledge Management Resource to Support Strategic Workforce Development for Transit Agencies

Legal Aspects of Airport Programs — An Update

Legal Considerations in Evaluating Relationships Between Transit Agencies and Ridesourcing Service Providers

Legal Considerations in the Funding and Development of Intermodal Facilities at Airports

Legal Implications of Video Surveillance on Transit Systems

Legal Issues Related to Implementation and Operation of SMS [Safety Management Systems] for Airports

Long-Term Aging of Asphalt Mixtures for Performance Testing and Prediction

Long-Term Infrastructure Program Letter Report, January 23, 2018

Maintenance and Operations: Parts 1 and 2

Managing Geotechnical Risks in Design-Build Projects

Managing Performance and Assets; Freight Data and Visualization

Marine Transportation and International Trade

A Mechanistic-Empirical Model for Top-Down Cracking of Asphalt Pavements Layers

Microgrids and Their Application for Airports and Public Transit

National Academies-TRB Forum on Preparing for Automated Vehicles and Shared Mobility

Operational Effects of Geometric and Access Management 2018

Operator Education and Regulation; Safe Mobility for Older Persons; Traffic Law Enforcement; and Occupant Protection 2018

Optimal Replacement Cycles of Highway Operations Equipment

Pavement Management 2018

Pedestrians 2018

Performance of Longitudinal Barriers on Curved, Superelevated Roadway Sections

Performance-Based Mix Design of Porous Friction Courses

Practices for Preventing Roadway Departures

Practices in One-Lane Traffic Control on a Two-Lane Rural Highway

A Primer to Prepare for the Connected Airport and the Internet of Things

Private Transit: Existing Services and Emerging Directions

Public Transit and Bikesharing

Quantifying the Effects of Preservation Treatments on Pavement Performance

Railroads

Rebuilding and Retrofitting the Transportation Infrastructure

Recommended AASHTO [American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials] Guide Specifications for ABC [Accelerated Bridge Construction] Design and Construction

Recommended Guidelines for Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems Tolerances and Recommended Guidelines for Dynamic Effects for Bridge Systems

The Relationship Between Transit Asset Condition and Service Quality

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Relationships of Laboratory Mixture Aging to Asphalt Mixture Performance

The Renewal of Stormwater Systems Using Trenchless Technologies

Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future (page 22)

Research and Education

Research and Technology Coordinating Committee Letter Report, November 9, 2018

Research on Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation for Departments of Transportation

Research to Support Evaluation of Truck Size and Weight Regulations

Resilience in Transportation Planning, Engineering, Management, Policy, and Administration

Return on Investment in Transportation Asset Management Systems and Practices

Revenue and Economics 2018

Review of U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Stability Regulations Letter Report, September 12, 2018

Roundabouts, Truck Safety, Motorcycles, and Mopeds 2018

Safety Data, Analysis, and Evaluation 2018

Safety Impacts of Intersection Sight Distance

Safety Regulation for Small LPG [Liquefied Petroleum Gas] Distribution Systems (page 24)

Simplified Full-Depth Precast Concrete Deck Panel Systems

Socioeconomic, Sustainability, and Human Factors in Transit 2018

Socioeconomic, Sustainability, Health, and Human Factors 2018

Spot Painting to Extend Highway Bridge Coating Life, Vol. 1: Guidance

Spot Painting to Extend Highway Bridge Coating Life, Vol. 2: Research Overview

Staffing for Alternative Contracting Methods

State of the Industry Report on Air Quality Emissions from Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuels

A Strategic Approach to Transforming Traffic Safety Culture to Reduce Deaths and Injuries

Strategies for Airports to Reduce Local Stormwater Utility Fees

Sustainability’s Role in Enhancing Airport Capacity

Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices 2018

Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analysis

Systems Security, Resilience, and Emergency Management 2018

Tack Coat Specifications, Materials, and Construction Practices

Tools and Case Studies for NextGen for Airports

Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Vol. 1: Research Overview

Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators, Vol. 2: User Guide

Tools for a Sustainable Transit Agency

Tools to Facilitate Implementation of Effective Metropolitan Freight Transportation Strategies

Traffic Control Devices 2018

Traffic Control Devices and Measures for Deterring Wrong-Way Movements

Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics 2018

Traffic Monitoring: Automobiles, Trucks, Bicycles, and Pedestrians

Traffic Signal Systems 2018

Transforming the Marine Transportation System Through Multimodal Freight Analytics: Proceedings of the Fifth Biennial Marine Transportation System Research and Development Conference

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A Transit Agency Guide to Evaluating Secondary Train Detection/Protection Systems in Communications-Based Train Control Systems

Transit Research Analysis Committee Letter Report, August 24, 2018

Transit Technical Training, Vol. 1: Guide to Applying Best Practices and Sharing Resources

Transit Technical Training, Vol. 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training

Transportation Emergency Response Application (TERA) Support Materials for Airport EOC Exercises

Transportation Network Modeling

Transportation Planning Applications

Transportation Planning, Program and Investment Decision Making

Transportation Policy

The Transportation Research Thesaurus: Capabilities and Enhancements

Transportation Safety Management 2018

Travel Demand Forecasting

Traveler Behavior and Values

Truck Size and Weight Limits Research Plan Committee, First Report: Candidate Research Topics; Framework for Setting Priorities

U.S. Department of Transportation’s Mobility on Demand Initiative: Moving the Economy with Innovation and Understanding

Understanding Changes in Demographics, Preferences, and Markets for Public Transportation

Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations, Vol. 1: Guidebook

Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations, Vol. 2: Technical Appendices

Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations, Vol. 3: Research Report

Understanding FAA Grant Assurance Obligations, Vol. 4: Summary of AIP [Airport Improvement Program] Grant Assurance Requirements

Underwater Installation of Filter Systems for Scour and Other Erosion Countermeasures, Vol. 1: Research Report

Underwater Installation of Filter Systems for Scour and Other Erosion Countermeasures, Vol. 2: Training Manual

Updating Regional Transportation Planning and Modeling Tools to Address Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles, Vol. 1: Executive Summary

Updating Regional Transportation Planning and Modeling Tools to Address Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles, Vol. 2: Guidance

Use of Automated Machine Guidance Within the Transportation Industry

User Guides for Noise Modeling of Commercial Space Operations — RUMBLE and PCBoom

User Performance 2018

Using Existing Airport Management Systems to Manage Climate Risk

Using Recycled Asphalt Shingles With Warm Mix Asphalt Technologies

Validation of the Louisiana Interlayer Shear Strength Test for Tack Coat

Visibility and Work Zone Traffic Control 2018

Vol. 1: TRAQS (Transportation Air Quality System) User Guide

Vol. 2: TRAQS (Transportation Air Quality System) — A Combined Interface for Project-Level Air Quality Analysis

Workshop on Implementing a Freight Fluidity Performance Measurement System

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Public Law

115-405 Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2018

Conduct a study on the use of limited access privilege programs in mixed-use fisheries

Evaluate how the design of the Marine Recreational Information Program can be improved to better meet the needs of in-season management of annual catch limits and what actions could be taken to improve the accuracy and timeliness of data collection and analysis to improve the program and facilitate in-season management

115-282 Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018

Prepare an assessment of available unmanned, autonomous, or remotely controlled maritime domain awareness technologies for use by the Coast Guard

115-270 America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018

Conduct a study on the ability of the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out its statutory missions and responsibilities, and the potential effects of transferring the functions, including regulatory obligations, personnel, assets, and civilian staff responsibilities of the secretary relating to civil works from the Department of Defense to a new or existing agency or sub-agency of the federal government

Carry out a study on the economic principles and analytical methodologies currently used by or applied to the Corps of Engineers to formulate, evaluate, and budget for water resources development projects

115-254 FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018

Conduct a study on lead emissions and aviation gasoline

Conduct a study on the size, quality, and diversity of the cybersecurity workforce of the FAA

Study the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) program, the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP), and any other drug and alcohol programs within the other modal administrations of the Department of Transportation

Study the approaches to quantifying mortality and significant morbidity among populations affected by major disasters, including best practices and policy recommendations

Current Congressionally Authorized Activities*

*While all projects listed have been designated in legislation, a few lack funding and final contracts.

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115-232 John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Perform an assessment of nuclear forensic analyses conducted by the federal government

Conduct a review of the defense environmental cleanup activities of the Office of Environmental Management of the Department of Energy

115-141 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018

Conduct an evaluation of the expected medium- and long-term evolution of the grid, including the emergence of new technologies, planning and operating techniques, grid architecture, and business models

Provide an evidence-based analysis of the complex findings in the research on birth settings

Identify outcomes that are to be achieved by activities authorized in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (see Public Law 114-198) and the metrics to measure the outcomes to determine the effectiveness of the programs for preventing, treating, and supporting recovery from substance use disorders

Conduct an assessment of the potential overmedication of veterans during fiscal years 2010 to 2017 that led to suicides, deaths, mental disorders, and combat-related traumas

115-31 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017

Conduct a review of the conceptual plans to dispose of surplus plutonium including considerations of transportation, operations, performance assessment, compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other regulations, safety analyses, and any other activities required to carry out this alternative that are pertinent to the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

Conduct a peer review of the revised draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of formaldehyde. Should it be released in fiscal year 2017, verify that the recommendations from the previous National Academies report of 2011 have been fully resolved scientifically

Develop an operational therapeutic foster care (TFC) services definition for the Medicaid program

Prepare a report that assesses the capital needs of the National Institutes of Health’s main campus. The report should identify facilities in greatest need of repair, describe the work needed to bring them up to current standards, and include cost estimates for each project

Conduct a study on the federal health care costs, safety, and quality concerns associated with discarded drugs resulting from weight-based dosing of medicines contained in single-dose vials

Conduct a study on the cost-benefit impact of multimodal autonomous self-driving vehicles, focusing on the impact of autonomous vehicles on motor carriers, ports, transit, and related industries, and on the so-called crash economy that includes the insurance and health care industries

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115-25 Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017

Conduct a study on future National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite systems and data needs

115-10 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017

Assess the administration’s Mars exploration architecture and its responsiveness to the strategies, priorities, and guidelines put forward by the National Academies’ planetary science decadal surveys and Mars-related reports

114-329 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

Assess research and data reproducibility and replicability in interdisciplinary research and make recommendations for improving rigor and transparency

Subject to the availability of appropriations, jointly establish and conduct a postdoctoral fellowship program with the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Conduct a study to identify and review technologies employed at institutions of higher education to provide notifications to students, faculty, and other personnel during emergency situations in accordance with law

114-328 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017

Concurrently review the analysis, conducted by the federally funded research and development center chosen by the secretary of energy, of the approaches for treating the portion of low-activity waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Richland, Washington, that is intended for supplemental treatment

114-322 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act

Develop a proposal to study the use and performance of innovative materials in water resources development projects carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers and, after public comment, carry out the study

Conduct a study on the effectiveness and environmental impacts of salt cedar biological control efforts on increasing water supplies and improving riparian habitats of the Colorado River and its principal tributaries, in California and elsewhere

114-315 Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016

Conduct an assessment of scientific research relating to the descendants of individuals with toxic exposure

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114-198 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016

Evaluate the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program, identifying outcomes that are to be achieved by activities funded by the program and the metrics by which the achievement of these outcomes shall be determined

Evaluate any program administered by the secretary of health and human services included in this act that provides grants for the purpose of addressing problems pertaining to opioid abuse, basing the evaluation on the outcomes achieved and the metrics by which the achievement of these outcomes shall be determined

114-92 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016

Jointly with the National Academy of Public Administration, evaluate the plan and its implementation to reform the governance and management and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the nuclear security enterprise

113-235 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015

Three years after enactment of the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014 (included in this legislation), evaluate the Regional Innovation Program established by the act, recommending whether it should be improved and continued or terminated

113-76 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014

Evaluate, possibly on a periodic basis, the Strategic National Stockpile distribution system and make recommendations to improve it, including consideration of private-public collaborations to increase efficiencies

Upon completion of a Government Accountability Office analysis, review the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ocean and coastal data collection systems to determine which systems should be maintained, which need sustained investment, and which should be retired

Assess China’s strategies, policies, and programs to become an innovative society and to enhance its indigenous innovation

Undertake a review of existing data collection methods pertaining to human trafficking and slavery and make recommendations to improve data collection in these areas

Review the Bureau of Reclamation’s draft analysis of buried metallic water pipeline reliability to ensure that the uniform reliability standard, in addition to the analysis of economics, cost-effectiveness, and life-cycle costs, is accurate and consistent across all referenced materials

112-81 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

Within four years of the enactment of the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011, and every four years thereafter, conduct a study of how the STTR program has stimulated technological innovation and

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technology transfer, estimate the number of jobs created by the SBIR and STTR programs, and make recommendations with respect to these issues

111-314 National and Commercial Space Programs

Periodically over the next decade, conduct independent assessments, also known as decadal surveys, taking stock of the status and opportunities for earth and space science discipline fields and aeronautics research and recommending priorities for research and programmatic areas (see Public Law 110-422)

At five-year intervals, review and assess the performance of each division in the science directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

110-422 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008

On a periodic basis, perform independent assessments — also known as decadal surveys — to take stock of the status and opportunities for the fields of earth and space science and aeronautics and to recommend priorities for research and programmatic areas over the next decade (see Public Law 111-314)

110-161 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008

Establish an independent project review of NASA’s major programs

110-140 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

Evaluate vehicle fuel economy standards, updating the initial report every five years through 2025

Five years after enactment of this act, assess the Department of Energy’s performance in carrying out Section 641, titled the “United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007”

110-69 America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (America COMPETES) Act

Conduct a study to identify and review methods to mitigate new forms of risk for businesses, beyond conventional operational and financial risk, that affect the ability to innovate

Study how the federal government should support, through research, education, and training, the emerging management and learning discipline known as “service science”

Not later than five years after, and 10 years after, the date of enactment of this … [act], assess the performance of the science, engineering, and mathematics education programs of the Department of Energy

Review the performance of the distributed, multidisciplinary institutes, established and centered at National Laboratories, to apply fundamental science and engineering discoveries to technological innovations

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Establish an expert panel to identify promising practices for improving teaching and student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in kindergarten through grade 12 and examine and synthesize the scientific evidence pertaining to the improvement of teaching and learning in these fields

Conduct a study of the mechanisms and supports needed for an institution of higher education or nonprofit organization to develop and maintain a program to provide free access to online educational content as part of a degree program, especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or foreign languages, without using federal funds, including funds provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.)

109-364 John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007

Receive custodianship of the Air Force Health Study assets, maintain the data and specimens, and make them available for additional studies

109-155 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005

At five-year intervals, review and assess the performance of each division in the science directorate of NASA

109-59 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)

Recommend a research agenda for a national cooperative freight transportation research program and to support and carry out administrative and management activities related to its governance

Carry out the nine research projects called for in the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board 2005 Special Report 283 titled “Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation: Defining the Need, Converging on Solutions”

108-176 Vision 100 — Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act

Provide staff support to the Airport Cooperative Research Program Governing Board and carry out projects proposed by the board that the secretary of transportation considers appropriate

108-153 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act

Conduct a triennial evaluation of the National Nanotechnology Program

106-541 Water Resources Development Act of 2000

Biennial review of the progress of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan

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Department of Health and Human Services18,383,255

Department of Transportation81,078,845

U.S. Agency for International Development15,719,370

Department of the Navy13,063,422

National Science Foundation12,606,945

Department of the Army 9,713,875

All Other Federal Sources57,450,065

Revenue Applied to 2018

U.S. Government Agencies(Grants and Contracts)

Department of Agriculture $ 1,200,905Department of Commerce 6,363,193Department of Defense Defense Threat Reduction Agency 1,921,844 Department of Defense 1,469,857 Department of the Air Force 7,594,258 Department of the Army 9,713,875 Department of the Navy 13,063,422Department of Education 324,212Department of Energy 7,940,633Department of Health and Human Services 18,383,255Department of Homeland Security 2,344,411Department of Housing and Urban Development 38,064Department of the Interior 2,059,807Department of Justice 74,470Department of Labor 141,710Department of State 2,532,939Department of Transportation 81,078,845Department of the Treasury 20,001Department of Veterans Affairs 4,204,101Environmental Protection Agency 3,329,113Federal Reserve System 461,780General Services Administration 43,052Government Accountability Office 399,256National Aeronautics and Space Administration 7,327,733National Endowment for the Humanities 56,419National Science Foundation 12,606,945National Transportation Safety Board 34,255Office of the Director of National Intelligence 5,479,264Social Security Administration 2,073,284U.S. Agency for International Development 15,719,370U.S. Arctic Research Commission 15,504

TOTAL U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES $ 208,015,777

Private and Nonfederal Sources

Contracts and Grants $ 50,193,687Other Contributions 5,669,979

TOTAL PRIVATE AND NONFEDERAL SOURCES $ 55,863,666

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About the National Academies

The U.S. government’s need for an independent adviser on science and technology matters became evident by the height of the Civil War. On March 3, 1863, President Lincoln approved the congressional charter which created that adviser, the National Academy of Sciences.

The private, nonprofit Academy has counseled the federal government in wartime and peacetime ever since. As science and technology issues have grown in complexity and scope, so too has the Academy.

The NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES was established in 1863 by an act of Congress as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. In addition to its role as adviser to the federal government, the Academy sponsors symposia, monitors human rights abuses against scientists worldwide, promotes the public understanding of science, and publishes a research journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Marcia McNutt, President Bruce Darling, Executive Officer James Hinchman, Deputy Executive Officer

The NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Its members are distinguished scholars and practitioners of engineering from academia, industry, and government elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. It also conducts studies of policy issues in engineering and technology, encourages education and research, and grants awards to outstanding engineers.

C. D. Mote, Jr., President Alton D. Romig, Jr., Executive Officer

The NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE was established under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 to advise the nation on medical and health issues. An association of eminent health care professionals and experts in related fields, Academy members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health.

Victor J. Dzau, President J. Michael McGinnis, Leonard D. Schaeffer Executive Officer

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

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Back cover: The National Academy of Sciences building and the National Academies’ Keck Center, both located in Washington, D.C.

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